Out of the Darkness
by matlinsisters
Summary: Clare Edwards is a young, fresh out of university English teacher at a local high school with a wealthy family. She works at the homeless shelter her father helped build during the time when he was alive. One evening while at work she meets a mysterious homeless young man by the name of Eli Goldsworthy. And suddenly her life is changed for ever in almost an instant!


**A/N: Recently I decided to go AU for once and write a fanfiction about eclare that wouldn't follow the show. It's something I could do my own thing with and not have to worry about keeping a canon background for any character in my story. I hope you all will love this as much as I have loved writing it. Also, I know it's not the most realistic type of story in the world but that's the fun of fanfiction and fiction writing in general. Enjoy! :)**

* * *

The sun was just about to set over Toronto's skyline as the clock struck seven p.m. and Clare Edwards was hoping to get to go home. Her shift as a volunteer at one of the many local homeless shelters around town was almost over, and she couldn't be more thankful. A New Hope always seemed to be packed to the brim with families and their pets, wanting food or a place to sleep for the evening, so they could withstand the cold for just one night. After all, Toronto was on alert for more snow showers over the next few days.

"Can you take out the trash before you leave?" Her boss, Marshall Greene, asked as he watched Clare slipping on her winter coat. Thinking it wouldn't be a problem since there were only two large bags that needed to be carried outside to the dumpster. Clare nodded her head with a small smile as she grabbed her purse from the cubby she was assigned in the office area.

"Of course I can!" Clare replied, though she was thoroughly exhausted from her long shift at the shelter, she knew it wouldn't hurt to do something so small before she clocked out. Walking into the kitchen, Clare grabbed the two large trash bags and began to carry them out the door. She walked down the cement steps as carefully as possible so she wouldn't fall due the fact that there could be ice under the snow below her feet. The young woman shivered slightly as she walked around the building, hearing nothing but cars going by and snow crunching underneath her winter boots.

As she walked into the back alley where the dumpsters were, she noticed what appeared to be a blue tarp or piece of flimsy blue plastic blowing in the wind. As she headed for the piece of plastic, she noticed a pair of old boots sticking out from underneath, with someone huddled against the cold hunter green metal dumpster. Tossing the bags into the dumpster, she moved to pull back the bright blue plastic. "Excuse me!" She spoke up, keeping her voice at a quiet yet kind tone.

A pair of emerald green eyes met with Clare's sky blue hues as she looked down at the person beneath the tarp. A young man, not much older than herself was sitting there on the snowy pavement shivering as he looked up at Clare. His lower jaw quivering as he gave the curly haired brunette standing over him a curious look. "Yeah?" He finally spoke up, his voice slightly hoarse as he uttered the words. Clare looked back at the building then back down at this guy. He was wearing a pair of black jeans that were dirty, a thick hunter green winter coat with a black hoodie underneath, and a pair of black gloves to protect his hands from the cold. From what Clare could see, he was thin and all she had to do was look at his face to know he was very malnurished. "What do you want? Do I need to leave?" He added.

"No, no. Actually, would you like to come inside? There's plenty of shelter inside and I could get you a bed. You'll get clean clothes, a shower, and food to eat as well. What do you say?" She offered, smiling kindly at the young man sitting before her. Seconds later, snow started to pour down from the sky as Clare waited for an answer. The emerald eyed boy looked Clare over, thinking she didn't look like someone that would harm him but rather help him stay safe, he then nodded as he stood up. The brunette sighed from relief as he started to walk with her into the shelter. "Dinner is going to be served in an hour, you'll have time to get settled in and maybe get cleaned up if you want," Clare added. The young man nodded his head again, feeling as if he had just witnessed some sort of miracle. After all, there was no way of getting into a shelter anywhere else in the city - he was just lucky enough to have been in the right place at the right time. "What's your name?" Clare asked.

"Elijah Goldsworthy. I prefer Eli, though," He responded.

"I'm Clare Edwards," She replied to his response with a small smile. She tried not to think about how heartbreaking it was to see such a sweet young man like Eli out there, shivering in the cold while living on the streets. "Let's go up front and get you checked in, okay?" Clare suggested. Finally, Eli smiled and nodded his head as he followed her to the area in the front where he could get checked in for however long the space would be available.

* * *

"We only have space available for tonight until morning. I'm sorry," Becky stated, feeling really pathetic since she hated being the bearer of bad news. Clare sighed heavily as she looked to Eli. Eli just seemed to be fascinated that he had a basket of clean clothes that would fit him, some new shows, and stuff to clean himself up with during his shower. Clare then shot a glare back at her co-worker, whom immediately crossed her arms over her chest. "What do you want me to say or do, Clare? You know this place is packed to the brim," Becky added.

"Thanks, Becky." Was all Clare could say as she tapped Eli on the shoulder then motioned for him to follow her into the foyer of the shelter. "Okay, follow me and I will take you to one of the empty rooms where you'll sleep tonight. Then I will show you the shower and where you'll eat dinner at seven, okay?" Clare commented. Eli nodded again as he followed the girl through out the building. First the two walked up the stairs and headed for one of the vacant rooms.

Eli looked around at his surroundings so that he wouldn't get lost as he followed Clare to his room for the night. "So, if you guys weren't so packed I would be able to stay longer?" Eli asked curiously, Clare could feel her heart sinking in her chest as she sighed softly.

"Yeah, you would be able to stay here longer but we're packed. You're likely the last person we'll let through the doors," Clare replied softly as she lead Eli into his room. There was a single, full sized bed with plain white sheets and a blue blanket, as well as two pillows on the bed. "You'll be sleeping here tonight. There's a television right there for you to watch," Clare spoke up as she pointed to the television on top of the wooden dresser. "And you have a private bathroom which is kind of small but it works," She added as she walked over to flip on the light inside the bathroom then turned it back off. "Okay, now, I need to show you where the shower is and where you can put your dirty clothes so they can be washed. Follow me!"

"Okay!" Eli muttered as he walked out of his new room then back down the stairs into the foyer.

* * *

The two walked down a hallway or two, passing by several rooms including an office type area and a security area with a couple of guards inside. Once they made their way down the winding halls, Clare finally showed Eli the shower facilities. "Okay, this is the shower area. You may notice that it looks sort of like something you would find in a swanky spa," Clare stated with a laugh, Eli laughed as well but he agreed. The walls were lined with granite which was light gray, the floor tiled with white tiles leading to each shower, which had it's own sliding glass door for privacy.

"Wait, I think I know this place! Wasn't this place some sort of small resort and spa for really wealthy people? Billionaires and people like that?" Eli asked, thinking he had recognized this place before seeing as how his grandfather helped build it back in the fifties. Clare nodded her head then grinned.

"Yeah, it was Westerson Resort and Spa. My dad bought the building from the original owners and remodeled it to turn it into a shelter for the homeless. That's why your room resembles a hotel room, the foyer looks like a lobby, and why it looks like you're standing in a spa shower facility. Oh and the cafeteria where you will be eating used to be a really fancy restaurant," Clare rambled on, Eli thought it was really cool of her dad to do something so random but so kind. It must've cost a fortune to do something like that and he had a feeling that Clare was very, very well off.

"I bet your dad is a really cool guy since he's generous enough to buy a place out and give back to the community. That alone says so much about him," Eli spoke softly, Clare agreed and she couldn't help but smile at the young man's kind words about her dad.

"Yeah, he was really great." She replied. Thinking about him made her want to tear up - after all she was still coping with the fact that she had lost him just a year ago. "Okay, I'm going to leave you to your shower and I am going to go see if I can help out in the kitchen. To get to the dining room, just walk back to the foyer then turn to your left. There will be a hallway and you'll go straight down it and you'll be in the dining room area. I'll see you in a few," Clare instructed before walking out of the shower area. Leaving Eli to wash up while she headed for the kitchen. She needed to get her mind off of her dad and fast or else she would be really, really depressed for the rest of the day.

* * *

Soon enough, Eli was cleaned up and had his new clean clothes on as he waited for his old clothes to be washed. After towel drying then combing his hair with the things he was given; Eli made his way out to the dining area. The smell of various foods filling the air made Eli's stomach rumble from hunger. He was starving, literally, as he slowly walked into the dining hall. He took a look around, wondering where Clare was and if she was in the kitchen or if she had left. He hoped for the former because there was something about her that was different. She had this kind, loving nature about her and he didn't want her to leave him there alone.

Eli looked around as he entered the dining hall, he noticed that almost everyone had on similar clothes to his own. Light gray sweatpants, white v-neck t-shirts, and different colored long sleeved undershirts. His happened to be red. He sheepishly scratched at the back of his neck as he looked for a place to take a seat. "Eli!" Clare called out then motioned for him to come over to her. He smirked then turn to walk towards her and she smiled back at him.

He looked quite handsome without all the dirt on his face, the old filthy clothes, and his hair matted down to his head due to oil and dirt collecting in it. His hair was now shiny and dark brown but clean. His skin was clean as well, giving him a light tan from being outside so much while living on the street. "Oh my, he's really cute when he's all clean," Clare couldn't help but to think and she knew her face was likely a rosy shade of pink due to those thoughts. "Apparently we're having a sandwich bar for dinner. There are burgers, sloppy joes, barbeque, and some side dishes too. Macaroni and cheese, cole slaw, mashed potatoes, onion rings and baked beans. How does that sound?" She asked. Eli's face lit up, it had been so long since he had any type of comfort food.

"Amazing, really." He replied. He was so happy to get to eat again; it had been so long since he had eaten real food that wasn't cold, old, or thrown out into a disgusting dumpster. Eli just hoped that he could eat this stuff and not hate it because he had went so long eating the food he found while dumpster diving. "Anything is better than eating food straight from a dumpster. You know?" Eli added, nervously running a hand along his arm.

"Oh so this is the guy you were telling me about!" A thin, black haired girl spoke up as she approached Clare from behind. "I'm Katie Matlin. You must be Eli?" She greeted, Eli smirked since he realized that Clare must have been saying good things about him to her friend.

"Yeah, I'm Eli." He responded. Katie then finished wiping her hands off with the red checkered dish cloth before reaching out to extend her hand for him to shake.

"It's nice to meet you," Katie replied with a sincere smile. "Dinner is almost ready if you want to find a table to sit down at while Clare helps me?" She continued. Eli took that as a cue to go sit down but before he did just that he turned around then gave his friend a hopeful look.

"Clare, will you join me for dinner in a few?" He asked. Katie looked to her co-worker with a small smile. She couldn't help but to think of how sweet it was that Eli wanted to eat with her friend. She gave her an approving look before walking back to the kitchen, hoping Clare would go for it. He seemed sweet enough and he wasn't creepy at all.

"I...okay!" Clare beamed. She was a little hungry and she thought that maybe, if she put some food in her stomach, then she could drive home without a fear of falling asleep at the wheel. Usually eating something would help wake her up, anyway.

* * *

Once Clare finished helping Katie, Fiona, and Imogen in the kitchen - she walked back out into the dining hall the moment her apron was folded then put up. She grabbed a tray, then made herself a cheeseburger that was loaded with toppings. She also grabbed some mac n' cheese and onion rings before she headed to find Eli. After spotting him sitting alone in a corner at a table, Clare walked over then sat down with him. "You didn't get a drink! Want me to get you one? We have a little of everything," Clare offered. Placing her food down onto the table since she needed to get a drink for herself.

"Do you have something like fruit punch?" Eli asked, Clare smiled back at him as he asked his question.

"We do, actually! The Hi-C brand," She replied. "I'll be right back," She added as she walked off to get them both something to drink. While she was gone, Eli closely guarded Clare's tray and made sure no one bothered her food. He knew what it was like to have to fight at shelters before because someone took something of his while he wasn't looking. Once the girl returned then sat down with him, Eli smiled as he took a big bite of his barbequed chicken sandwich.

"Thank you, Clare." He spoke softly after swallowing his bite of food. "For everything. I'm so glad I am getting to sleep in a -" Eli began but got cut off as a tall blonde boy approached Clare with an angry look on his face.

"He can't stay here tonight. We need that room for a woman and her son," The boy stated bitterly, giving Clare a harsh glare as he spoke before shooting one at Eli.

"Excuse me, Luke, I think he can stay here if he needs to. He had the bed registered first - it's his for the night." Clare argued, however Luke was so up to date on the policies, rules, and guidelines of the shelter that she knew there was no arguing with the older Baker sibling.

"Women and children are first. Remember? Section forty-three dash B in the rules and guidelines about the facility. Update yourself. As for you, sir, you have to leave - we have no room for you. Finish your dinner then get out," Luke spat, the older Baker then turned to walk away and Eli suddenly felt really sad. He thought he would be able to stay there but unfortunately his luck had come to an end.

"I guess I should head out," Eli muttered, an expression of sadness taking over his features as his emerald eyes looked down at an almost empty tray. He took a few big gulps of his fruit punch then looked back into Clare's eyes for a moment. "It was nice meeting you and getting to know you, Clare." Eli added, a soft sigh leaving his lips after he spoke.

* * *

Suddenly, Clare decided to do something she had never thought to do before in her life. She knew it was very risky and possibly dangerous to do what she was about to do for Eli. But something inside of her made her want to do this, she needed to do it because otherwise she wouldn't feel okay with herself if she didn't. "Eli, come home with me?" She asked, trying to fight back her emotions because she literally felt heartbroken over the young man sitting across the table from her. "You do not need to be out there on the street. You can stay with me until you're back on your feet again and I will do my best to help you the best way I know how. I'll take care of you, okay? Just, come home with me," She pleaded.

Eli was stunned, he wasn't expecting this young lady to open her home up to him. Would it really be okay for him to do such a thing? Was she being serious about taking care of him and helping him get a new start in life? It sounded too good to be true - but he needed this. He needed a place to live for awhile. His eyes started to fill with tears as he exhaled a shaky breath. "Alright, I'll go home with you. As long as you promise me I'll be safe there," Eli agreed.

"I promise. You'll be safe, warm, and you'll never have to worry about hunger again as long as you're with me. I'm giving you a new lease on life and I want you to take it. And I am so happy that you are," Clare replied. She just hoped she would be safe with him, too. But for some reason she had a feeling she would be just fine with him living there and she was more than happy to open her home up to this kind young man. Just as long as he would make a deal with her and look for work somewhere. "One condition. You have get a job and or go back to school while you're living with me. Preferably both and I will help you with those things if you want?" She stated.

"You have a deal." Eli replied, reaching out to shake her hand on it with a wide grin. This very well may have been one of the best days of his entire life.


End file.
